The One Just For Me
by Kilvakar
Summary: Chi, a Persocom, has found "the one just for me." His name is Hideki. He is a Human, but he loves Chi for who she is. But when tragedy strikes and Hideki finds himself in an afterlife he never expected, he will do anything to reunite with Chi. The only way to do that, he is told, is to join the 13 Court Guard Squads and become a Soul Reaper! Bleach/Chobits crossover!
1. Prologue

**The One Just For Me**

**Prologue:**

**Hello readers! Kilvakar here, glad to see you! (figuratively speaking, that is) I'm finding that I really like writing fanfiction, as this will be my third story I've got going right now. Anyway, if you've read any of my other stories (and you should!), you'll know I love anime, especially Bleach! But while I've always loved the fighting series (Bleach, Fairy Tail, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, etc.), I must admit I have a soft spot for more, shall we say, sentimental stories as well.**

**I just finished a really cute series called Chobits, and it had to be one of the most adorable animes I've seen. But, according to most of the fanfics I've read for that series, it would seem that most people believe that Hideki and Chi are doomed to an unhappy ending, mostly because Hideki would age and Chi would not. But what would happen if Hideki didn't age? How could that be, you ask? Well, what if Hideki was to become...**

**wait for it...**

**A SOUL REAPER! Mwahahaha!**

**Yes, my poor, defenseless readers, this is the first and only english Bleach/Chobits crossover! Without spoiling the whole thing, Hideki Motosuwa becomes a Soul Reaper in order to reunite with his beloved Persocom, and the Soul Society will never be the same! You WILL read this, and you WILL review. I asked a certain pink-haired lieutenant to explain what will happen if you don't:**

**Yachiru: If you don't read and review, I'll tell Kenny!**

**Me: *facepalm* Yachiru, Kenpachi's not going to care if people don't read my fanfic! What did I say to tell him?**

**Yachiru: Oh, that's right! Haha, I'll tell Kenny you were perving on me!**

**Kenpachi: What's that? Kilvakar was perving on you!?**

**Me: No, wait! That's not what we were saying!**

**Kenpachi: Swallow, Nozarashi!**

**Me: *runs away screaming***

**Yachiru: Don't worry about him, I'm sure Kenny just wants to play! He should be able to have the first chapter up soon!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning**

Hideki Motosuwa walked down the hall and opened up the door to his apartment. He couldn't help but smile as Chi greeted him with her usual "Hideki, welcome home!" and a tackle/hug.

"Good to be home, Chi." He answered as he hugged her back. It had been a few months since that night when Chi had told him she was in love with him, and he had finally told the beautiful Persocom that he shared her feelings. Despite the fact that Chi was a machine and Hideki was a Human, each knew that the other was "the one just for me." In fact, Chi had started to use that as a term of endearment, which Hideki took as a sign that her personality was continuing to mature as their relationship deepened.

"Did Hideki do good at prep school today?" Chi asked.

"Well, I suppose so. But hey, I've got a surprise for you today."

"Hideki has a surprise for Chi?" Her eyes widened as she smiled happily.

"Yes. Tonight I'm taking you somewhere special."

"Somewhere special with Hideki! Chi likes this!"

Hideki chuckled. Sometimes he still couldn't believe how incredibly cute Chi could be, especially when she was excited.

"Yes, so why don't you put on the nice dress Miss Hibiya gave you and we'll get going."

"Yes, Chi will change clothes in the bathroom. Chi remembers not to change in front of Hideki, it makes Hideki's nose leak."

Hideki looked very embarrassed for a moment as he was reminded of how very straightforward she was about somewhat...sensitive subjects. While Chi changed clothes, Hideki opened up his bag and Sumomo, the tiny pink mobile Persocom hopped out and onto the table.

"Successful dismount!" Sumomo shouted cheerfully. "Sumomo avoided landing on her face!"

Kotoko, the other pint-sized Persocom who had been waiting at home with Chi while Hideki and Sumomo were out, looked over at Sumomo without any attempt to hide her annoyance.

"That's not exactly a praiseworthy accomplishment, you know." she stated dryly.

"Don't start fighting, you two." Hideki said as he removed a small, wrapped box from his bag. "Tonight's going to be very special and I don't want anything to go wrong. Now, why don't you two find something quiet to do, and don't make a mess of things while we're gone, ok?"

"That shouldn't be a problem for me." Kotoko replied.

"Affirmative!" Sumomo yelled. "We'll keep a good eye on the house while you two are out being lovey-dovey!"

Hideki shook his head slightly as Sumomo began to dance around Kotoko while suggesting they play a game together. Ever since Chi had run her program that made all Persocoms truly sentient, it had become apparent that Sumomo's "cuteness" programming had become permanently ingrained in her personality. She still insisted that everyone do their "wakey-wakey exercises" each morning, danced around whenever she was on "standby" (which now meant whenever she was bored, and she seemed easily bored), and still tended to have over the top reactions to many situations.

Even though Hideki had made it clear that he didn't see either of them as property any more than he thought of Chi that way, both Sumomo and Kotoko had decided to stay with Hideki and Chi. Sumomo said it was because they were her friends, and Kotoko simply stated that she didn't know of anyone else she could stay with, since she didn't want to go back to Kojima's place.

Chi came out of the bathroom wearing her frilly pink dress that her "mother" Miss Hibiya had given her. Hideki blushed a little at seeing her looking so beautiful.

"Hideki, ready to go somewhere special?" Chi asked.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go, Chi." he replied.

"Chii!" Chi exclaimed in excitement.

_**A few minutes later...**_

Sumomo and Kotoko were busy playing another online game that Shinbo had sent to Hideki recently, when Kotoko noticed something on the table they were sitting on. It was the small, wrapped box that Hideki had taken out of his bag just before they had left the apartment.

"What's that?" she asked as she pointed at it.

Sumomo looked at the object Kotoko was pointing at, and then shouted in surprise and jumped up from her seat. "Emergency! Emergency!" she shouted. "This is a crisis situation! Emergency!"

"Just what are you freaking out about now?" Kotoko asked.

"That is the special surprise that Hideki bought for Chi today! Oh, he must have forgotten it when he took it out of his bag earlier! This is a crisis situation! We have to do something! Grab that box!"

Despite the box's small size, Kotoko still had to wrap both her arms around it in order to be able to hold onto it.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Kotoko asked Sumomo.

"We have to catch up to them!" Sumomo replied as she raced to the door and pushed open a small flap at the bottom.

After Kotoko had pointed out that Sumomo and herself were stuck inside the apartment whenever Hideki went somewhere without them, he had decided that the least expensive way to solve the problem was to have a cat door installed. Kotoko had been rather annoyed at first, but she admitted that it was thoughtful of Hideki to use his own money for their convenience. Once they were outside, Sumomo grabbed one end of the box and the two of them ran down the hall and the stairs and out the door.

As Hideki and Chi walked down the street, Chi noticed that Hideki was being unusually quiet. She took his hand and looked up at him with concern.

"Hideki alright? No energy?"

"No I'm fine, thanks Chi. I was just thinking about when I found you. It was right over there, you know." he pointed at a corner where several garbage cans still sat.

"Chi is glad Hideki found Chi. Hideki is the person just for Chi."

Just then, they heard a familiar voice calling out to them.

"Master! Emergency! Emergency!"

Hideki turned and looked and saw Sumomo and Kotoko waving at him from across the street. It was hard to spot the pair at first, given their diminutive size, but Sumomo's voice more than made up for that. Kotoko called out as well.

"It looks like you forgot something important, good thing I noticed before you got too far."

Hideki noticed the small box the two tiny Persocoms were carrying, and jumped with surprise.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I forgot! Thank you, thank you so much!"

"No worry, mission accomplished!" Sumomo replied cheerfully!

Hideki turned to Chi and patted her on the head.

"Just wait here, ok Chi?" he said. "I'll be right back." and with that, he turned and dashed back towards Kotoko and Sumomo.

Hideki rushed across the street, his mind completely focused on Sumomo and Kotoko and the item they were carrying. He forgot to check before stepping onto the road, and he didn't even see the headlights bearing down on him until he heard the horn sounding and the screech of tires on the pavement.

Time seemed to freeze for Chi as she looked on helplessly from the sidewalk. The van screeched as the driver tried to hit the brakes and swerve. There was a sickening crashing sound, and Hideki was thrown into the air. As he hit the ground, Chi screamed.

"HIDEKI!"

"Master!"

"Mr. Motosuwa!"

Hideki opened up his eyes and squinted. It took a moment for him to get his bearings.

_"What...happened?"_ he thought as he picked himself up off the pavement. _"Was I hit? Man, I guess I'm lucky. I don't feel any pain, must've not been as bad as I thought."_

He could hear voices, calling out his name. He looked and saw the three Persocoms standing around him. The first thing he noticed was that Chi was crying. For the first time since that night on the rooftop, real tears were streaming down her face. She kept repeating his name over and over.

"Hideki! Hideki! Hideki"

"Chi, it's alright, I'm ok!" he called out, trying to comfort her. But to his shock, Chi kept on crying. He also noticed that Sumomo had tears in her eyes as well.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm fine everyone!" he tried to say, but they acted like they couldn't hear him. The man driving the van jumped out and ran over to Chi.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he cried, his voice hollow with shock. "He just...ran right in front of me!"

"Hey, don't worry, it was my fault." said Hideki. He stood up to talk to the man, and that's when he heard the sound of rattling metal. He looked down at the source of the noise, and froze in place in utter shock. Somehow, a metal plate had appeared on his chest. attached to that plate was a chain, just under two feet long. What frightened him even more was the fact that even though he was standing, he could see what looked another version of himself laying at his feet in a pool of blood. He couldn't believe what he was looking at, this body was broken and bloody, and that was what Chi and the others were looking at. Chi continued to scream his name, but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking at that... thing laying on the ground.

_"It can't be!" _his mind screamed out. _"I can't be...I'm not...am I dead?!"_

"Chi! Chii! CHIII!" he called out frantically, trying to get her to notice him, but to no avail. Tears started flowing from Hideki's eyes as realization began to set in.

_"No, it can't end like this! I can't just leave her, not now! What am I going to do? What's going to happen to Chi? Oh god, please let this be a dream, please someone tell me Chi's not going to be left alone!"_

Just then, an unearthly scream ripped through the air that chilled Hideki to the very soul. He turned and stared at where the sound was coming from. Walking in the street, just turning the corner down the block, was a hideous monster. It stood at least ten feet tall and had arms with huge, bony blades sticking out of them. Even worse was the white mask-like face. It looked like a huge, demonic insect with razor-sharp mandibles. And worst of all, it was heading straight toward them.

Hideki couldn't move. His body (if he could call his new state a body) felt rooted to the asphalt. _"Is that...a demon?"_ he thought as the beast stepped closer and closer. _"Is it coming to take me to hell? I know I've looked at a lot of porn, and had a lot of dirty thoughts about women, but I didn't think I deserved this!"_

The monster continued to advance, and suddenly Hideki realized that if it kept coming, he wouldn't be the only one in it's path.

_"No, Chi!" _he thought._ "If that thing keeps coming this way, it might hurt her too. I can't let that happen, if it's the last thing I can do for her, I'll protect her, this one last time."_ Hideki clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He'd never been a particularly courageous person, but when it came to his beloved Persocom, he was willing to do anything. With more tears streaming down his cheeks, he steeled himself for what he was about to do.

_"Chi, I'm so sorry I have to leave you. You are the one just for me, but I can't take care of you anymore. Please, don't be sad forever. Live a good life, and remember me."_

And then, he turned to face the demon approaching. "Hey you!" he shouted. "You here to take me to the underworld? Well, if it's me you want, come and get me!" and with that, he turned and ran, hoping with all his heart that the creature would follow him and leave the others alone. It worked. The monster changed course and began to bound after him. He could swear he heard a rumbling, sadistic laugh coming from it's mouth as it followed him.

_"This is the end."_ he thought as he ran down the nearby alleyway with the monster in hot pursuit. He soon hit a dead end, and he turned around to see the beast blocking his path.

"Hahaha, there's nowhere for you to run now, little one." it spoke with a voice that sent shivers down his spine. "I just love the taste of fresh souls like you, this is going to be a fine meal!"

_"So that's it?"_ Hideki thought. _"I get hit by a van, and then my soul gets devoured by a demon? What a way to go...at least now Chi should be safe."_

But then another voice interrupted what Hideki assumed were going to be his last thoughts.

"Heh, there you are." the voice sounded surprisingly cocky. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Hideki looked up to see where the new voice was coming from. A man was standing on top of the roof of one of the buildings lining the alley. His appearance surprised Hideki, despite his current situation. The man was wearing what looked like a black kendo uniform that he'd seen a couple of times when he passed by some of the martial arts schools in town. He was bald, and had a smirk on his face that looked like he was glad to see the demon! What Hideki noticed most of all, though, was the sheathed katana he was carrying slung over his shoulder. The demon had noticed the newcomer as well, and it turned it's attention to the man on the roof.

"Well, this must me my lucky day!" it said with anticipation in it's voice. "I've never tasted a Soul Reaper before!"

"Your luck day, huh?" the bald man replied smugly. "Well, you should know that I'm the lucky one here! I was beginning to think that I wasn't going to get any action tonight, but I guess I'm still the luckiest man in Squad Eleven! Here, why don't I show you?" and with that he jumped down from the roof and landed in front of Hideki, taking up a stance between him and the monster.

The beast howled out with that same unearthly screech as it lunged forward to attack. Hideki fell backward as he tried to get out of it's range. But the bald man just stood there and drew his sword. He raised his blade, and to Hideki's surprise, stopped the huge creature's attack with just the sheath. Then he slashed upward with his sword, and the monster screamed in pain as the blade sliced up through it's arm, shoulder, and face, cutting it almost clean in half. It roared one last time, and then appeared to dissipate into thin air.

"Tch, not even a challenge." the bald man sneered. Hideki though he could detect a hint of disappointment in his voice. Hideki stood up again and called out to his rescuer.

"Uhh hello? Thanks for saving me from that thing."

The man turned and looked at Hideki as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh, yeah. Sure." he replied.

"If you don't mind my asking, just what was that thing? And who are you? And what's happening to me?"

"Woah, slow down there, too many questions. I don't have time to chat right now." the bald man answered.

"Well," said another new voice. "I think you should at least do your job before we move on."

Another man jumped down from the rooftops and landed next to them. Like the first stranger, this one was wearing a black uniform and carrying a sword. But he had a much less rugged complexion, a full head of neatly combed black hair, and bright red and yellow feather ornaments attached to his left eyebrow.

"If we don't do something about _him,_" he said, looking over at Hideki, "we'd be neglecting our duty as Soul Reapers."

"Ah, I guess you're right." the bald man replied. "If you want, you can do the honors, since I got all the action."

"Very well, at least this won't be an entirely wasted trip." the vain one said as he drew his sword.

Hideki jumped back in fear. "Hey, wait a minute! I didn't do anything! What's that for?" he shouted pointing at the other man's sword.

"Calm yourself." the feathered one replied. "I'm not going to hurt you. But if you stay here, you'll either end up food for one of those creature, or becoming one of them."

"What!? You mean, I'll turn into one of those things? Just what was that monster anyway? You never answered my question!"

The feathered man sighed. "Very well, I suppose I can explain. As I'm sure you already know, you're dead. You should have already moved on the Soul Society, but something's clearly holding you back. What exactly is it that's so important to you, anyway?"

"Well," Hideki replied, "it all happened so fast, and it was just a few minutes ago, so I don't know all that much yet, but I don't want to leave Chi."

"Chi? Who is that? Is she your girlfriend?"

"Well, yes. You see, Chi is a Persocom, but I love her more than anything, and today I was going to..." Hideki couldn't continue, as he started to cry.

"A.. Persowhat?" asked the bald man.

"A Persocom." the feathered man replied. "I've heard of those before. They're a new invention in the World of the Living. Human-like computers, I believe?"

"Hah, you're in love with a computer?" the bald man jeered.

Hideki couldn't stand to hear Chi demeaned like that. He clenched his fists and yelled at them. "Chi is not just a computer, you hear!? So don't talk about her like that! She has real feelings and emotions, just like a Human, and I love her!"

"Sheesh, calm down!" said the bald man. "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just kinda weird, you know? Saying you're in love with something that isn't Human."

"I suppose it's not unprecedented," the feathered man said. "After all, we have artificial life forms in the Soul Society. I just didn't quite realize that Human technology had reached that level yet. Captain Kurotsuchi probably knows all about it."

"It doesn't matter. You're dead now, and you've gotta move on!" the bald man interjected. "There's nothing you can do for her now."

"How can you say that?" Hideki yelled out. "There has to be something I can do! What about you two, you can see me, and you killed that monster, just who and what are you?"

"Well, I'm Yumichika Ayasegawa," the feathered man said. "I'm the Fifth Seat of Squad Eleven. And my friend here is Ikakku Madarame, our squad's Third Seat. We are Soul Reapers, part of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, an elite force that protects the Soul Society and the World of the Living."

"Wait, so you're not from this world?" Hideki asked. "So, does that mean, you're dead too?"

"Well, I guess you could say that." Ikakku answered. "But it's a lot more complicated than that."

"You see," Yumichika countiued, "when someone dies, their soul is transported to the Soul Society, think of it as the afterlife. But when someone dies in the Soul Society, their soul eventually finds it's way back to the World of the Living. It's a continuous cycle. But if a soul isn't able to cross over into the Soul Society, or loses itself to pain or regret, they will eventually transform from a normal Human soul, called a Whole, into one of those monsters like the one chasing you. Those souls are called Hollows, souls who have lost their hearts, and exist only to consume Human souls. That's why we need to perform a konso on you right away. Clearly, you're suffering a great deal of pain and regret, and I doubt it will take you long to transform into a Hollow."

"No!" Hideki shouted. "I can't leave, not now! If I've got the choice to stay here then that's what I'm going to do!" He pushed past Ikakku and Yumichika and ran down the street.

_"Somehow,"_ he thought as he fought through the tears while he ran, _"I'll find a way, to be with her! This isn't the end, it's just the beginning!"_

**Well, there you have it! That's the first time I've ever written a death scene, so I hope I did ok.**

**Of course, Hideki won't be able to run from fate for long, but I thought it made sense that he would at least try to avoid crossing over at first. **

**Got any thoughts or suggestions? I'm always open...and reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks to ThanosofTitan for the first one :) **


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Promise**

**First, I want to thank those who are reading this story. It is indeed a strange couple of settings for a cross-over, but I hope you find it interesting.**

**Anyway, it looks like Hideki escaped from Ikkaku and Yumichika for now, but does he fully realize the danger he's in? Every minute he spends in this world increases the chance of him being eaten or becoming a Hollow himself! Anyway, our next chapter opens as Hideki tries to find his way back to Chi...**

**Yachiru: Hey, there you are! So Kenny didn't kill you after all, hehe!**

**Me: Yeah, no thanks to you! Watch what you say next time, ok?**

**Yachiru: Hey, why did Baldy and Feathers get all the fun last time? Kenny's been really bored lately, and I bet he would've like to fight some Hollows!**

**Me: If Kenpachi had showed up, Hideki would probably have died **_**again**_** just from fright!**

**Yachiru: That's ok, I'll go catch up with Deki-Deki and tell him how awesome it is in the Soul Society and that he should definitely join Squad Eleven!**

**Kon: There's nothing so great about going to the Soul Society! In fact, it usually sucks over there!**

**Me: You're not even supposed to be here! I'm starting the story before you two ruin it!**

Hideki sound it hard to retrace his steps at first, since he hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going while the Hollow had been chasing him. As he ran, all he could think about was Chi. Even with everything else that had happened that night, making sure she was alright was all that mattered.

_"What am I thinking? Of course she's not alright! I just got killed right in front of her!"_ Hideki thought as he continued to try (and failed) to keep himself from weeping as he ran. The chain hanging from his chest jingled as he ran, reminding him that this wasn't some horrible dream.

_"It's true, I really am dead. This isn't what I expected at all, I never believed in ghosts, but now I am one!"_

His thoughts were interrupted as he caught the red and blue flashing of emergency vehicle lights from the corner of his eye.

_"It must be that way!"_ he thought as he turned sharply and ran down the street toward the lights.

His instincts were correct. He recognized the area, and now there were several police cars, as well as an ambulance there. A large group of bystanders had grouped there as well, and Hideki frantically looked back and forth through the crowd for Chi. He finally spotted her next to the ambulance. Miss Hibiya was there, holding Chi in her arms. Both the Persocom and her "mother" were crying. Nearby were Minoru Kokobunji and Yuzuki, who both looked like they were on the verge of tears themselves. Sumomo and Kotoko were both perched on Minoru's shoulders. Sumomo was rubbing her eyes, and even the usually stoic Kotoko looked sad. He saw the medics loading _something_ into the ambulance. It took Hideki a moment to realize what it was.

_"Oh god, that's my body! I'm actually watching them take my dead body away!"_ he couldn't help but think. But then he remembered why he'd come back here in the first place. He walked through the crowd until he reached Miss Hibya and Chi. Chi clung to her mother's blouse and stared at her with a confused and helpless look in her eyes.

"Mama, Chi wants to go with Hideki!" she pleaded.

"I'm so sorry, my dear, but you can't go with him this time."

"Why? Hideki is injured, Hideki needs Chi! Chi will stay with Hideki until he gets better."

"I'm afraid Hideki isn't going to get better, Chi." she tried to explain without crying herself. "You see, Hideki was injured so bad that he...shut down."

"You mean, like Freya?"

"Yes dear, it's sort of like that."

"No, it's not!" Hideki shouted. "I'm right here! I'm here for you, Chi!" but still no one seemed able to see or hear him. He stood in front of Minoru and tried waving his arms.

"Hey, Minoru! Can you see me? Sumomo! Kotoko! Yuzuki! Can't anyone hear me?"

Hideki looked around at his friends, none of whom showed any sign that they could detect his presence. Minoru finally turned to the others and addressed them in an almost monotone voice.

"There's nothing more we can do here. Yuzuki?"

"Yes, Lord Minoru?" the purple-haired Persocom replied.

"Let's go home. Sumomo and Kotoko can stay with us for the time being."

"Yes...that would be nice."

But Sumomo shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to stay with Miss Chi tonight." she stated.

"I believe that I should remain with Chi as well." Kotoko added.

"That's alright." Miss Hibiya said. "I think that Chi should come and stay with me tonight."

Chi looked down at the ground as the tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"Chi...will stay at home." she stated flatly.

"But, Chi..." Chitose began, but Chi cut her off.

"Chi needs to stay at home, Chi will wait for Hideki."

Chitose tried to explain to her daughter as compassionately as she could.

"Chi, darling, Hideki...isn't going to come back. We won't be able to see him anymore."

But Chi shook her head and stopped crying as she looked back at her mother with absolute conviction in her eyes.

"Hideki is...the one just for me. Hideki promised that Chi and Hideki would be together. Chi doesn't understand, but Chi knows that Hideki will come home."

Hideki stood there, invisible to everyone, but amazed at Chi's faith in him. He truly felt undeserving of her, this innocent girl, a Persocom, a machine who was so much more. He tried to place his hand on her head like he had done so many times before. But his ghostly hand passed through her as if he wasn't even there. Hideki retracted his hand and placed it over his heart. With the other he wiped the tears from his eyes and he spoke to Chi, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

"Chi, I love you. I promise, I'll find a way back to you. We'll be together again."

Chi looked up, and Hideki felt like if his heart was still beating, it would have stopped. Even though he was invisible to her, it looked as if her eyes were staring directly into his. She gazed upward as if recognizing a familiar presence, and simply said;

"Chiii..."

**Well, there it is! This chapter was a little short, I know. But I hope I did a good job. What did you think? Was I too sappy? Too melodramatic? Let me know, and be prepared for some drastic mood changes in the near future as when the Bleach cast starts showing up, things will be quite different.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Will of the Heart**

**Ok, so I know the last chapter was kind of short, but I've been writing very regularly on this story so updates should be coming reasonably quickly. Hope everyone enjoys it! **

**I don't own Bleach or Chobits. If I did, Bleach would have more romance and Chobits would have more butt-kicking, kinda like this story! :)**

Hideki followed Chi, Sumomo and Kotoko home. While he walked, he listened to the three Persocoms as they tried to process what had happened that night.

"Chi?" Kotoko spoke first.

"Chii?" was her reply.

"What you said earlier, about Mr. Motosuwa coming back...you understand that is not possible, right?"

"Kotoko is wrong." Chi stated bluntly, but with no disrespect as only she could. "Chi knows Hideki will come back to be with Chi."

"But...it's completely irrational, Chi. Mr. Motosuwa died. You know what that means, don't you?"

Chi nodded slowly. "Chi understands. Mama explained it."

"Then why do you think Master's coming back?" Sumomo jumped in.

"Because," Chi went on. "Even though Hideki isn't here, Chi knows Hideki isn't gone."

"Do you mean, you actually believe in some sort of afterlife?" Kotoko asked.

"Afterlife? Chi doesn't understand."

"It's a Human thing." Kotoko tried to explain. "Many Humans believe that when their body dies, their souls continue to exist, either in this world or by passing into another world."

"Like a backup data restore!" Sumomo chimed.

"Sort of like that, yes. But not exactly."

"Does Kotoko not believe in afterlife?" Chi asked.

"Of course not!" the tiny Persocom replied with some surprise. "There is no empirical data that supports that hypothesis. Once a Human dies, they cease to exist. I suppose it's possible that we Persocoms might be able to achieve something similar by backing up our data and downloading it into a new body if our current body were to be destroyed, but Humans have no way to preserve their data, so when they die, they're gone forever."

For the first time since his...change, Hideki chuckled to himself. He couldn't help it, the irony of listening to Kotoko talk about there being no afterlife while he listened in as a ghost was just too much.

_"Apparently somebody needs to update her information."_ He thought to himself.

"Chi understands some of what Kotoko is saying," Chi replied. "But before, when Chi thought Hideki was gone forever, Chi felt like dying too. But then, Chi felt something, and it reminded Chi of Hideki. That's when Chi knew that Hideki would come back."

Kotoko went silent. _"I guess there's no reasoning with her," _she thought. _"I knew Mr. Motosuwa's Persocoms were weird, but I didn't expect this kind of behavior. Still, I wonder why Chi is so certain that Mr. Motosuwa is coming back? Is it because she's programmed to be so Human she has the same tendency for irrational thinking that Humans have? But then, ever since Chi ran that program, I've been noticing that I sometimes have irrational thoughts as well. From what I understand, so are all other Persocoms. What...have we become?"_

The little group reached the apartment building. Hideki continued to follow them as they headed upstairs to his apartment (or, what used to be his apartment, he remembered). Chi opened up the door and they went inside. Sumomo and Kotoko hopped down from Chi's shoulders and Chi went into the bathroom to change into her nightclothes. When she came back out, she sat down on their makeshift bed on the floor. Even though it didn't really matter, Hideki suddenly regretted not having enough money to buy them a real bed. He wondered if Chi would ever want to buy one for herself, or if she would even continue working now. Then he jumped slightly when the thought occurred to him once again.

_"What will happen to Chi now that I'm not there to take care of her? Will she be allowed to keep the apartment? I hope she remembers to recharge herself!"_

Hideki's thoughts were interrupted by a sound that he recognized, but hoped he would never hear again. A shrieking scream came from outside, just like the one he had heard from the Hollow that had attacked him earlier. He cringed with fear, wondering if the monster was once again coming to devour him. Summoning all the courage he had, Hideki crawled over to the window and peeked up until he could see out into the street below. To his horror, there was a Hollow there. Clearly a different one from the previous Hollow he'd encountered. This one had wings like a bat and a skull-mask that reminded him of a dinosaur. If anything, it was even more horrifying than the last one. But it didn't seem to be looking for him, and Hideki soon saw why. The same two men that had saved his life earlier were chasing after it!

_"Just who are those guys?"_ Hideki wondered. _"I didn't understand a word of what they said earlier. Something about a squad and reaping souls, and protecting people from those monsters?"_

As he watched the two of them running down the street, Chi came up to the window and placed her hands on the glass. She stared out the window, as if deep in thought.

"Chi, is everything ok?" Kotoko asked.

"Something...is wrong." Chi replied, causing Hideki to jump.

"Chi!" he yelled. "Can you see that thing? Do you see those men chasing it?"

But Chi still didn't respond to him. Sumomo rushed to the window and jumped up next to Chi.

"What is it?" she asked. "Is there something down there?"

"Chi...doesn't know." replied Chi. "Chi thought..." but her voice trailed off and she looked back out of the window.

Hideki felt a little relieved that Chi couldn't see the frightening monster gliding through the street below them, but he wondered why Chi seemed to sense something wrong.

He watched as the feather-wearing man disappeared from the street, only to reappear _in the air_ above the Hollow. With a quick swing of his sword, he dispatched the monster and it dissolved into nothingness just like the first one had done when the bald man slashed it.

_"So, not only do these guys use traditional katanas to kill monsters, they can teleport too? It's like they have super-powers or something!"_

As he continued to watch his two rescuers, he suddenly noticed the feathered man pointing straight up toward his apartment. He jumped back from the window began to look around in a panic for a place to hide.

_"Are they still looking for me? How could they possible know where I am? Those guys said something about forcing me to pass into the next world, but I can't go and leave Chi! I promised her I'd find a way back to her!"_

He half expected the two of them to come bursting through the door, but nothing happened. He sighed heavily with relief and slumped against the wall.

_"If what those guys told is true, then there's a chance I could eventually turn into one of those things? I can't let that happen! But wait, if they could see me, that means there might be other people out there who can see me too! Maybe I can find someone who can help me? That's it! There has to be someone out there who knows what's happening to me and how to fix it. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go out and look until I find someone who can see me! Someone who doesn't want to send me into the afterlife, that is..."_

While Hideki sat thinking, Chi moved away from the window and lay down next to Sumomo and Kotoko, who both hugged her before switching to sleep mode. Without thinking, Hideki tried to climb under the blankets next to her as he always did, but was quickly reminded that in his current form, he couldn't touch solid objects. The thought also hit him that climbing into bed with a girl while she can't see or hear you might be the sort of thing a pervert would do. He prepared to get up and find somewhere else to sleep, but then Chi reached out and her hand passed through his body. She laid her hand on the blankets, her hand still partially within Hideki's ghostly "body." He could have sworn she smiled slightly in her sleep as she muttered; "Chii.." Hideki smiled back and closed his eyes.

**Several Hours Later...**

Apparently there was no need for sleep as a ghost. Hideki got up from the bed and paced about the apartment. Life as a spirit was going to be more challenging than he thought...


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **

**I'm finding that I really enjoy writing this story the more I get into it! Hopefully, some of you readers are getting into it too :) In today's chapter, Hideki tries to find someone who can help him, but first, that means finding someone who can actually see him (other than Ikkaku and Yumichika). Who will be able to guide Hideki through these troubling times? Read on and find out!**

Hideki decided to leave the apartment early the next morning. He hadn't been able to sleep, which surprised him more than he thought it would. He had to force himself to stop gazing at Chi, who was still sound asleep on the floor. Even with all that was happening, he still couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked laying there. But finally he managed to tear his eyes away from his love and walk out the door (or in this case, _through_ the door, since he couldn't even move the handle). He went downstairs and out the front door, and stood staring at the street. It was still early, so not many people were out yet, but the few people walking up and down the sidewalks were passing him by as if he wasn't even there.

_"I guess there's nothing to do but walk around until I find someone who can see me..." _Hideki thought as he tried to decide the best course of action. He decided to head toward the center of town. _"The more people around, the better the chance someone might be able to see me. Tokyo is a pretty big place, after all. Wait, what if someone does see me, and they scream and run away because I'm a ghost? Maybe I should try one of those spiritualist centers? I always thought those people were just scam artists, but maybe some people really can communicate with the dead..."_

Hideki's mind rambled on as he walked. He was so busy thinking that he wasn't watching where he was going, and didn't realize until afterward that he had just walked through several pedestrians! He jumped in surprise and turned around to apologize, only to have another man pass through him. He sighed. It was depressing being dead! He continued on down the street, shuddering as he passed by the crosswalk where his death had occurred. He tried waving at people he passed by, but no one seemed to notice him.

_"I wonder where I can find information about one of those spiritualist centers?"_ He thought. _"I don't suppose I'll be able to look anything up in the internet, since I can't touch a computer or even interact with a Persocom."_

Hideki continued walking as he pondered the best course of action. This was certainly going to be more difficult than he thought, but he had no choice but to press on.

**Meanwhile, back at the apartment:**

Chi woke up much later than usual that morning, mostly due to Sumomo not giving her usual wake up call. It was clear that even the tiny pink Persocom was deeply affected by the tragic events of the previous night. Kotoko was already awake, though, since she had programmed herself to get up at the same time each day even without Sumomo's "wakey wakey exercises."

Chi looked over at the empty spot next to her where Hideki usually slept. "Chii.." she sighed mournfully. She had hoped that somehow everything that had happened the night before had just been a bad dream, a side effect of some sort of system error, but Hideki wasn't there. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face as the tears started flowing down her cheeks again. Sumomo and Kotoko didn't know what to do in a situation like this, but they both knew what they felt like doing. The two miniature Persocoms jumped up and each stood on one of her knees and hugged her cheeks.

Just then, someone knocked on the door, and a familiar voice called out.

"Chi, are you there? May I come in?"

The voice was Chitose Hibya, all three Persocoms recognized it right away. Sumomo and Kotoko jumped onto Chi's shoulders as she stood up and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, come in, mama." Chi called back.

Chitose opened the door and looked in. She could see that Chi had been crying, and she walked over to her and embraced her. Chi wrapped her arms around Chitose's waist and held on for a long time before letting go.

"Is there anything I can do for you dear?" Chitose asked.

Chi looked down as she replied. "Chi doesn't need anything right now, but Chi though Hideki would be back by now..."

Chitose loved Chi as if she was her own flesh and blood, and she hated to see her daughter doing this to herself, but she didn't know how to make Chi understand that Hideki was gone forever without hurting her even more. She took Chi's hand and squeezed it.

"Is it alright if I stay with you today, Chi?" she asked.

"Chi!" the Persocom replied with a slight smile. "Would mama like some tea?"

"No, that's alright, you don't have to trouble yourself for me."

"It's not trouble, Chi has gotten very good at making tea."

Chi walked into the kitchen and started getting out her supplies. Kotoko jumped off her shoulder and onto the countertop, while Sumomo remained on her perch. In a short while, they were all seated on the floor around the small table that was one of the few furnishings Hideki had in his apartment. After finishing her tea, Chitose sat her cup down on the table and smiled at her daughter.

"That was wonderful, Chi. You really have improved a lot recently."

"Thank you." Chi replied. "Chi has been learning more about cooking. Hideki is always happy when Chi cooks food for him."

Chitose had to struggle to hold back tears of her own. She moved over and sat next to Chi. She still didn't know what to say, so put her arm around her shoulder and the four of them sat in silence.

They had no idea how long they had been sitting there, when another knocked sounded at the door.

_"Who could that be?"_ Chitose wondered. _"Oh, it's probably Shinbo Hiromu, I don't think he knows yet..."_

But as she moved toward the door, she could hear two unfamiliar voices speaking.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," said the first voice. It sounded like the voice of a young boy. "Maybe we should go look somewhere else?"

"But there's definitely someone in there, I can feel it." Came the second voice. This one sounded like an even younger girl.

Chitose wondered what two children might be doing knocking on Hideki's door, especially since they had to have come through the apartment complex and up the stairs to get there. She decided to open up and see what they wanted. She walked over and opened the door, looking down to where she expected to see the two children standing. But instead, she found herself looking down at an adult man's feet. She snapped her head up quickly to get a better look at the stranger before her. He was a very unusual-looking man, dressed in a green jinbei with long pants and a darker green haori over that. He wore a white and green striped bucket hat, and a pair of traditional wooden geta clogs. In his left hand he held a wooden cane. She saw where the children's voices had come from, as a young red-haired boy and dark-haired girl with pigtails were standing behind him.

Chitose looked up curiously at the strange man and asked him; "Can I help you?"

"Well, that depends." The stranger replied. "Are you Miss Chitose Hibya?"

"I am, but who, may I ask, are you?"

"My name is Kisuke Urahara, and I'm a friend of your late husband, Ichiro Mihara."

"Kisuke Urahara?" Chitose replied. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of you. How exactly did you know Ichiro?"

"Well, that's something we should probably discuss inside. Do you mind if we come in?"

"Well, I suppose..."

"Excellent!" Kisuke interrupted as he and his two young companions walked inside the apartment.

Chitose was unsure of what to do, somehow she felt that this Urahara wasn't a bad person, but something about him still made her a bit uneasy. Kisuke walked over and sat down next to Chi and the two mini Persocoms at the table, and then he pulled out a paper fan and began to wave it in front of his face as he spoke.

"Well, what do we have here? My, my, these are some fine-looking Persocoms you have her, Miss Hibya."

"Chii?" said Chi as she looked back at Kisuke with wide eyes.

"Hmm, yes, very interesting..." he mumbled almost to himself as he looked back at Chi.

Chitose didn't like the way Kisuke was eyeing her daughter. She came over to the table and turned to Chi.

"Would you mind making some more tea for our guests, Chi?" she asked.

"Chi!" the young Persocom replied as she nodded her head. She got up and headed back into the kitchen, leaving Chitose, Sumomo, and Kotoko with Kisuke.

"So, Mr. Urahara," Chitose began. "You still haven't explained why you're here and how you knew my husband."

"Ah yes, please forgive my manners!" he answered as he continued to wave the fan in front of his face. "I actually knew Ichiro Mihara quite a few years ago, we...collaborated on some research. I've been very busy these last several years, so we hadn't been in touch for a while, but I heard about his death. I'm sorry for your loss."

"That's kind of you." Said Chitose. "But what brings you here now?"

"Well, I live over in Karakura Town, but we were in the area and I thought it would be nice to drop by and pay my respects."

"I see. Are these your children?" Chitose asked, looking at Kisuke's two companions.

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" he chuckled as he closed his fan. "But this is Jinta Hanakari and Ururu Tsumigya. They both work for me at my shop."

Jinta, the red-headed boy, looked away as she glanced at him. Ururu, the young girl, bowed with an almost overly-polite attitude and said "Pleased to meet you!"

Chitose couldn't help but think that they both were too young to be employed at a store, but she didn't mention that.

"So, what sort of business do you operate?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm just a humble candy shop owner these days, nothing to brag about."

She looked at him quizzically. _"What sort of man would claim to be a research partner with Ichiro and yet work at a candy shop?"_ she wondered.

Chi returned with their tea, which their three guests accepted gratefully. Kisuke looked back at Chi again.

"That's a very nice Persocom, did your husband build her?"

"Yes, actually, he made her himself." Chitose replied. _"Why does he seem so interested in Chi?"_ she thought as she spoke.

"Very interesting. I spoke with Mr. Mihara a couple of times when he was working on Persocom development, it seems like the technology is everything he hoped for."

They continued to make casual conversation for a little while longer, and eventually Kisuke got up and told Chitose he needed to be on his way. After exchanging polite goodbyes, Kisuke, Jinta, and Ururu left the apartment, leaving Chitose somewhat relieved and more than a little confused. Why of all times did someone claiming to be an old friend of Ichiro's decide to show up now? Chitose felt very uneasy at the interest he'd shown in Chi. Regardless of any protests, she was going to insist that Chi spend the night in her apartment!

Meanwhile, Kisuke was walking down an alleyway where a tall, dark-skinned man with a distinct pair of sideburns, a mustache, and cornrow-braided hair was waiting for him.

"So, is it true?" the man asked.

"Indeed it is." Kisuke replied.

"Well, that's a surprise." The man said back. "So Mr. Mihara's experiments were a success after all?"

"I certainly appears that way." Said Kisuke. "I suppose it's time someone told him the news."

**Meanwhile:**

Hideki had been walking around town for hours with no success at finding anyone else who could see him. He decided it was time to head back to the apartment and try again the next day. He also really wanted to see how Chi was doing. As he trudged along the sidewalk, he noticed a brightly-colored flyer stuck to a power pole. The headline caught his attention, as it read:

"Spirit Hunter! Special episode filming today, see the century's premier spiritualist in action, and remember, the spirits are always with you!"

Hideki looked more closely at the flyer, beneath the headline was an address.

_"Spirit Hunter? I've heard of that show, but I never watched that stuff. I thought it was cancelled?"_ he thought to himself. _"Well, I guess it's worth checking out, I sure haven't had any luck today..."_

Fortunately, the address was a park not to far from his current location, so he started off hurriedly, as the start time for the filming was already past. As he neared the park he could see that there was a good-sized crowd still gathered there, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't missed it! Hideki rushed up to the back of the crowd. They were all cheering and waving their hands, it sounded as if something exciting had just happened. Hideki strained to see over the crowd, but couldn't get a view of what was going on. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, but he was embarrassed to try it. The crowd cheered again, and Hideki decided that he would have to just go for it. He started walking though the crowd. Literally walking _through_ the people standing in his way. It felt extremely creepy to be passing through people as if they were just ghosts, which only served to remind him that _he_ was the ghost here.

Hideki quickly reached the front of the crowd, where he was greeted by a strange spectacle. A dark-skinned man in a ridiculously flashy outfit resembling a marching bad uniform was waving an equally flashy cane was waving at the crowd.

"Mission accomplished!" he shouted. Then he crossed his hands over his chest and let out a loud laugh. "Bwahahahaha!"

The entire crowd mimicked his gesture and laugh in reply, causing Hideki to flinch as the roaring laughter filled the park. The man waved at his on looking fans and shouted out:

"That's all for now, folks! Thank you all for coming out, and remember, the spirits are always with you!"

Hideki looked downcast. _"This guy's a total joke. I should've known better than to think about asking some crazy kid's show actor for help."_ He sighed audibly. _"I guess I might as well go home."_

Hideki turned to leave, but then he heard a voice behind him.

"Hello there!" the actor's voice called out.

Hideki instinctively turned around, but stopped. _"There's no one here who can see me. I'm just being..."_ but his thoughts were cut off as the man called out again.

"That's right, I'm talking to you, young spirit. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the century's premier spiritualist, the world-famous Don Kanonji! And just what can I do for you tonight?"

**Dun dun dun!**

**Oh yes, Don Kanonji is here to save the day! Or at least point Hideki in the right direction... But what is the ever-scheming Kisuke Urahara up to, and what is his connection to the creator of the Persocoms, Ichiro Mihara? I'm sorry it's been taking me longer to update my stories lately, but obviously I haven't forgotten them! As always, let me know what you think of this chapter and where you think the story might go! Until next time!**


End file.
